Glenn North, an adjunct English instructor and 2006 graduate of 射精视频
Glenn North, an adjunct English instructor and 2006 graduate of 射精视频 himself, has two standard pieces of advice, or rules for his students:
- Take yourself and education seriously.
- Be responsible for educating yourself.
North is a very active member of the Kansas City community, serving as the poet-in-residence for the American Jazz Museum, executive director of the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, and former director of education and public programs at the Black Archives of Mid-America. This dedication to the city he loves and spreading awareness of its history led him to a partnership with faculty member Rhiannon Dickerson and a program called 鈥淧athways.鈥 This Rockhurst program utilizes Kansas City itself as the classroom and educates high school students on the place they call home while they earn college credit along the way. The program鈥檚 theme this year is, 鈥淜ansas City Here I Stand鈥 and the curriculum takes the high school students deeper into their own city鈥檚 history, whether that be education about architecture, art, or the deep roots of activism that are growing every day.
North鈥檚 involvement in the 鈥淧athways鈥 program brought him聽to the attention of Dr. Jason Arthur, current chair of the English department. Because of North鈥檚 educational and professional accomplishments, both as an activist and poet, Dr. Arthur asked if he would be willing to teach聽freshman composition at Rockhurst during the fall semester. North said that one of the reasons he has always loved Rockhurst and chooses to stay an active Alum is because he sees Rockhurst as a place that fosters broader thinking and activism in its students.聽Rockhurst helps students evaluate what truly matters and gives them the support to truly be a change agent in the world.聽
Glenn North鈥檚 love of the English language and literature started at a very young age. When I asked how he found his niche in poetry he responded, 鈥淧oetry found me actually鈥. He went on to explain that growing up he spent a great deal of time with his grandmother and that she loved poetry, so it was almost always around him. For his 8th birthday she gifted him a copy of 鈥淚f鈥 by Rudyard Kipling, rather than clothes or toys like he was used to. He told me one of the best moments was the pride radiating from her face as she watched him recite it for her from memory the very first time. He said, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 understand the poem fully, but I loved the rhythm鈥, and from there he started writing his own poems and found a voice.
North's journey with poetry continued from there through his life, first to honor his grandmother, and then further as he discovered his own love for the spoken word. North lived in Washington D.C. with friends before going back to school, and he recalled the adventures he had discovering the beauty of poetry in the spoken word while there. He said while he didn鈥檛 鈥渕ake a lot of noise鈥 per say, he was consistent and built his passion. When he moved back to Kansas City in 1997 there wasn鈥檛 a lot of that happening, and so he sought to make it happen. He started out at a little dive bar on 19th and Vine called the 鈥淢ardi Gras鈥, Wednesday nights once a month, and it was a huge hit. North said, 鈥淎ll I needed was a microphone and some space鈥 and from there it took off.
Over the years since then, with the opportunities presented to him, he has lived a life where his passion is his job. North said he is, 鈥淭ruly blessed to work as a poet鈥 and that he wants to be a 鈥減oet of the people鈥. To him, teaching the students at Rockhurst is a way to help spread a love of writing and the subject that means so much to him, but also to use experiences in his life to teach his students to love life and embrace what is given while simultaneously working hard for what they want to achieve.
Glenn North is currently working on a variety of projects in addition to his instructing time at Rockhurst, including helping with the reopening of the Kansas City Museum聽and聽working in collaboration with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on a podcast that talks about community and growth for the future of representation (Will be out in early 2022 with 5 episodes).